Warmer winter, longer seasons
Butter is back
David Phillips sees more climate change » PG 3
Consumption up six per cent last year » PG 15
SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 73, No. 45 | $1.75
November 5, 2015
The new government’s ag ‘to do’ list Ralph Goodale says improvements to grain transportation and trade are top priorities, but safety nets and research are also on the agenda
manitobacooperator.ca
Concerns expressed over loopholes in farmland ownership act The Manitoba Farm Industry Board asks for feedback on how to strengthen legislation preventing foreigners from buying farmland
BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff
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rain transportation and trade are top of the new Liberal government’s agricultural agenda, says veteran Saskatchewan MP and former agriculture minister Ralph Goodale. Other priorities include determining if farm aid programs are adequate, investing in infrastructure to protect soil and water and refocusing the government’s role in scientific research. The Canadian Wheat Board is not coming back, but the Liberal government will dig into its apparent ‘giveaway’ to a foreign company and perhaps release the CWB’s 2012-13 annual report and financial statements that former agricuture minister Gerry Ritz kept secret (see sidebar). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet, including an agriculture minister, were to be sworn in Nov. 4 — two days after this week’s Manitoba Co-operator went to press. Grain transportation is a
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The Manitoba Farm Industry Board, which oversees the Manitoba Farm Land Protection Act discussed some of its concerns about loopholes and other pressures on the legislation at KAP’s General Council Oct. 29. Board chair Greg Perchaluk (l to r), vice-chair Bragi Simundsson and program specialist Judy Roeland. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON
BY ALLAN DAWSON Co-operator staff /Portage la Prairie
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nly Canadian citizens and permanent residents can own more than 40 acres of Manitoba farmland, but the board that oversees the Manitoba Farm Land Protection Act has concerns about loopholes and pressure from corporate investors. “The board has identified a number of issues out there… one being the purchase (of farmland) by investment groups and pension plans (and) purchases by conservation groups,” Judy Roeland, the board’s program specialist, told the Keystone Agricultural Producers’ (KAP) General Council here Oct. 29. Roeland said there have been allegations of farmland purchase by ‘straw’ permanent residents, often from China, but that these cases are difficult to track. The board is also concerned that
foreigners who purchased farmland before the act took effect in September 1984 can legally transfer ownership to other foreigners through a corporation, Roeland said. Shares in a corporation that owns farmland are not considered an interest in farmland. “It’s an area the board has identified as a possible loophole and one that they would like to see changed in the act,” she said. Some rural municipalities are worried land bought by conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada are taking too much land out of farming, undermining the local economy. Both have to apply to the board for an exemption to buy Manitoba farmland because they are not 100 per cent Canadian owned or controlled, Roeland said. The board only grants exemptions if it believes there’s a significant benefit to the province or it’s in the public interest.
The Manitoba government has not launched a formal review, but the board is constantly reviewing the legislation, board vice-chair Bragi Simundsson of Arborg told reporters. “We have told the minister (of agriculture Ron Kostyshyn) these are concerns that we have,” Simundsson said. The current act and board do a good job protecting Manitoba farmland, Kostyshyn said in an interview Nov. 2. He wouldn’t commit to following the Saskatchewan government’s lead by launching a formal public review of the legislation. “We’ve got the necessary policies in place to minimize those risks,” he said. “I’m always open to suggestions from the board and we continue to work and if it’s a situation that needs to be done sooner than later we will address it, but at this point in time See FARMLAND on page 7 »
More than 500 head shown off at Ag Ex » PAGE 33